


Secret Admirer

by frogfarm



Series: Buffy Etcetera: (Shorts) By Request [1]
Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Birthday Presents, Ficathon, Friendship, Gen, Personal Growth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-10-01
Updated: 2004-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-30 04:43:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12646347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frogfarm/pseuds/frogfarm
Summary: Shiny things are nice, but a girl's got to learn to stand on her own.Set at some nebulous point during Angel S5.





	Secret Admirer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nwhepcat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nwhepcat/gifts).



> For NWHepcat's Birthday Ficathon, 2004.

Harmony almost misses it, doesn't even see it at all until she's gotten back from lunch and finds it on the floor next to a pile of papers someone has unceremoniously dumped on her desk. It might be a tiny box, for sure, but the wrapping paper is a nice burgundy with silver highlights, and the pink ribbon would have tipped her off even without the unicorn. She still checks for a tag; has to be sure this isn't some evil test, test of evil or whatever involving hidden cameras and a very hard-earned job that goes down in flames when Angel jumps out of a closet. 

But there it is in in black and white, a little flap next to the ribbon that folds back to reveal FOR HARMONY in shaky cursive, writ large in Sharpie. She eagerly tears the package open, hoping something inside will provide a clue to the sender's identity. Also, it'd be nice if it was something that went with one of her outfits, but you could never tell with guys. At least she hopes it's a guy, though she wouldn't mind if Fred -- 

"Oh my god, it's adorable!" 

"Must be." Spike pauses on his way by her desk, leaning over to peer into the box. "You're squeaking." 

She jumps up and threw her arms around him. "My blondie bear! You're the best, you know that -- oh." She finds herself releasing him as the rest of the office tries to ignore them. "You didn't get me this." 

Spike shrugs his duster around himself, attempting to salvage some dignity. "Should bloody well hope so. Not really my style, innit?" 

"But it's _so_ cute!" she bubbles, brief embarrassment apparently over. 

He eyes her suspiciously, slowly grinning. "You don't know what it is." 

"I do too!" She glares at him before confusion reigns once more. "It's a plushy, fuzzy...cute...thing. With --" She pokes experimentally at it. "What the heck _are_ those?" 

"They're, um...tentacles." Spike's head whips around at the wispy voice, his eyes bugging out at the nondescript, rail-thin drink of water standing before them -- pre-vamp William could wipe the floor with this one. 

"It's Cthulhu," the boy offers. "You know. The, um, fictional entity. With the...tentacles." 

"Who's _that_?" Harmony blinks. "Do I know you?" 

"No -- well, I work in the mailroom." He shuffles his feet, looking properly scared now. "I, uh...I just thought...hoped you'd think it was, cute. Which it sounds like you do. So, I'll just be --" 

"Wait." 

He freezes half-turned, swiveling back toward Harmony as she approaches him. 

"What's your name?" 

"Um..." He licks his lips. "Matthew." 

"How'd you know it was my birthday?" 

Well, Spike thinks, _that_ wasn't the first thing he expected. 

He can't hide a lopsided smile. "Files and Records. Not all the personnel files are open, but birthdays? Pretty much." 

She holds up the doll like a talisman. 

"I do think it's cute. And it's going on my shelf. It'll have a special place and everything. I already know where to put it." 

Spike smirks, but she's continuing. Sounds bloody serious. 

"But I don't want you to get the wrong idea, Matthew. I've never seen you before today, and I'm not in a very good place right now to be anybody's girl." 

He can't resist. "Don't let her fool you, mate. Had her in a fine place just the other --" 

"Spike's a pig," she quickly interrupts, dismissing him with a wave of one perfectly manicured hand. "We had a thing, but I'm moving on. The point is --" The shoulders of her fuzzy sweater slump. "Well, I suck at relationships. And you're probably, like, a _really_ nice guy underneath all the nerd. But even if we didn't have the whole vampire-human thing going on...now's just not the time. Okay?" 

From the look in his eyes she knows she called it perfect, that instinct that in high school would have led her straight to the kill. She's still not sure why his feelings should matter, but she's trying to understand. Maybe the shining shoes thing will work for her, and she'll be a real girl someday, not one of those creepy wrinkled woodcuts Spike showed her. 

She watches him walk away, all too aware of the ex at her back. "Shut up, Spike." 

"Who, me?" He holds up his hands with a wounded air. "Far as I'm concerned, you did the bloke a favor." 

"Right." She nods stiffly, clutching the stupid cute fuzzy thing. "'Cause nobody with any _brains_ would want to be with _me_." 

"No, you daft bint." He makes it sound affectionate even without the melty eye thing, and for the first time it doesn't look manipulative. "'Cause you're not done bakin' yet." 

She shakes her head as he disappears down the hall toward the elevators, looks down at the doll again. Already she's forgotten his name, since it's way harder to remember than -- 

_Matthew._ She smiles. 

"That's a good name."


End file.
